Illinois and Charlotte will meet for the first time ever on Saturday with an 11 a.m. CT kickoff at Memorial Stadium on Big Ten Network. This weekend's matchup marks the last nonconference game of the season for Illinois.
The Illini hope to snap a four-game losing streak this weekend after suffering back-to-back close Big Ten losses. The 49ers will come into Champaign with a 3-1 record, notching wins against Duke, Gardner-Webb and Middle Tennessee this season.
"Charlotte presents some very unique challenges for us both offense and defense and in the kicking game," head coach Bret Bielema said. "Excited to get to Saturday at 11 o'clock, play a home game and see where our guys are at. Had a good week of practice and like the plan, like where our guys are at."
Big Ten Network will be broadcasting the game on Saturday and tickets can be purchased at FightingIllini.com/tickets.
Some storylines to watch Saturday …
Injury Update
With multiple playmakers missing last weekend's game due to injury, Bielema is excited to get some of his guys back. Running back Chase Brown, who did not travel to Purdue, and tight end Daniel Barker who was extremely limited last Saturday are both good to go against the 49ers.
Brown, one of the Illini's top running backs, has missed two games this season, but has been impactful when healthy. Against Maryland, Brown rushed for 57 yards while recording 54 receiving yards. Barker had his best game of the season against UTSA, scoring two touchdowns, being the first tight end to do so since Matt LaCosse in 2013.
On the defensive end, linebacker Jake Hansen and cornerback Devon Witherspoon were out against the Boilermakers. Bielema said both will be gameday decisions.
The Run Game
With the running back room dealing with multiple injuries this season, the Illini have barely seen their top backs all on the field together. But with Brown healthy, the offense will have a chance to control the game on the ground as 49ers allow an average of 234.3 rushing yards per game.
Along with Brown, true freshman Josh McCray and junior Jakari Norwood will be available on Saturday, giving the Illini offense several different looks at running back. While McCray has been a consistent force for Illinois recently, Bielema said Brown brings a higher level of experience that he is ready to see.
"All of the things I've learned about Chase, the intangibles, all of the preparation, he's excited to get out there," Bielema said. "One advantage to not being able to go lately is fresh legs. He just looks like a different gear out there."
Charlotte QB Chris Reynolds
As a four-year starter at Charlotte, quarterback Chris Reynolds has become the face of the 49ers' offense. Reynolds has passed for over 300 yards twice this season while totaling 12 touchdowns. Reynolds recently broke the program's career passing touchdowns record after throwing four touchdowns in the team's win last weekend.
Bielema believes Reynolds is a "very accurate passer" while also having talented weapons around him, like receivers Victor Tucker and Grant DuBose. But, Bielema said Reynolds' experience is what sets the offense apart.
"The thing that jumps out to me is you can tell the coaches really invest a lot in him," Bielema said. "They try to get a lot of perfect play scenarios at the line of scrimmage. He does a lot of really good things that happen post-snap. Anytime you can see a player make good decisions after the ball has been snapped, you can tell he's been trained the right way, coached the right way. And he's got the ability to run. He stays alive on early downs, he makes some third down scrambles, they run him in the QB run game, especially in critical moments. So, he's a very, very tough task."
